Wafer stacked package having vertical heat emission path and method of fabricating the same

ABSTRACT

A wafer stacked semiconductor package (WSP) having a vertical heat emission path and a method of fabricating the same are provided. The WSP comprises a substrate on which semiconductor chips are mounted; a plurality of semiconductor chips stacked vertically on the substrate; a cooling through-hole formed vertically in the plurality of semiconductor chips, and sealed; micro holes formed on the circumference of the cooling through-hole; and a coolant filling the inside of the cooling through-hole. Accordingly, the WSP reduces a temperature difference between the semiconductor chips and quickly dissipates the heat generated by the stacked semiconductor chips.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED PATENT APPLICATION

This application claims priority under 35 USC § 119 to Korean PatentApplication No. 10-2006-0105628, filed on Oct. 30, 2006 in the KoreanIntellectual Property Office, the disclosure of which is incorporatedherein in its entirety by reference.

BACKGROUND

1. Technical Field

The present invention relates to a semiconductor package and a method offabricating the same, and more particularly, to a wafer stacked package(WSP) having a vertical heat emission path inside a WSP semiconductorchip, and a method of fabricating the same.

2. Description of the Related Art

Conventionally, the usual method of fabricating a semiconductor memorydevice with high integration density is to apply the design rules offabricating a thinner wafer and positioning many integrated circuitswithin the small area of the wafer, so that elements such as transistorsand capacitors are three-dimensionally arranged. As an alternative,semiconductor devices are being developed to improve their integrationdensity, by vertically stacking thinner semiconductor chips, so thatmany semiconductor chips are stacked within a single semiconductorpackage. The stacked semiconductor chip method for improving theintegration density of a semiconductor memory device, using thesemiconductor package fabricating technology, has many merits in thecost and time required for research and development and in realizingnecessary processes, compared with the conventional method for improvingthe integrity density during the wafer fabrication process. Accordingly,significant research is directed towards the semiconductor packagefabricating technology to improve the integration density of asemiconductor memory device.

In a semiconductor chip of a semiconductor memory device, such as a NANDflash memory device, many input/output pads (I/O pads) are placed in onearea of the semiconductor chip. This can cause a ‘hot spot’ phenomenonwhen the NAND flash device operates at high speed. When a stack isformed of four or more chips with a relatively high power consumption,such as high-speed DDR DRAMs, a large amount of heat is generated. In aWSP particularly, the heat in the middle of the stack can not beeffectively dissipated, since a significant amount of an adhesive isused for bonding the stack. The adhesive blocks the heat conductionbetween the stacked chips. This reduces the reliability of the WSP.

A system in package (SIP) has been the subject of significant research,as well. The SIP is a single integrated semiconductor package,manufactured by stacking a microprocessor or microcontrollersemiconductor chip and a memory device semiconductor chip. However, forthe SIP to be practical, a way must be found to effectively dissipatethe great amount of heat generated by the microprocessor ormicrocontroller.

FIG. 1 is a sectional view for explaining a conventional WSP 50, andFIG. 2 is an enlargement of Part II of FIG. 1.

As illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, in the conventional WSP 50, foursemiconductor chips 16 are stacked on a substrate 10 on which a printedcircuit pattern is formed, and each semiconductor chip 16 iselectrically connected to the substrate 10 under the semiconductor chips16, by a via contact 18. In FIG. 1, reference numeral 20 indicatessealing resin for sealing the upper part of the substrate 10 and thesemiconductor chips 16.

Electrical connection of the upper and lower semiconductor chips 16 ismade by the via contact 18 composed of metal materials, as shown in FIG.2. Regions of the semiconductor chips 16 other than those electricallyconnected by the via contacts 18 are physically connected by an adhesive22.

FIG. 3 is a graph of simulated connection temperature vs. heat generatedin two semiconductor chips in a WSP having four stacked semiconductorchips.

In FIG. 3, the WSP was cooled by natural convection currents, and thetwo semiconductor chips were at the top of a stack of four DDR DRAMs.The X axis indicates the power consumption of the two semiconductorchips, and the Y axis indicates the temperature. When the powerconsumption is 0.2 W or more, the temperature of the WSP is expected tobe more than 85° C., which is the maximum temperature to guaranteereliability of the product. Also, when NAND flash products ormicroprocessor and memory products are stacked, the surface temperatureof the semiconductor package is expected to be much higher, due to thehot-spot phenomenon and the great amount of heat generated by themicroprocessor. Accordingly, a means for effectively dissipating thegreat amount of heat from the WSP is needed, to improve the reliabilityof the WSP.

SUMMARY

The present invention provides a wafer stacked semiconductor package(WSP) having a vertical heat emission path inside stacked semiconductorchips. The present invention also provides a method of fabricating theWSP having the vertical heat emission path.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a WSPhaving a vertical heat emission path, comprising: a substrate on whichsemiconductor chips are mounted; two or more semiconductor chips beingvertically stacked on the substrate; an evaporation unit positioned onthe lowest semiconductor chip being stacked; a cooling through-holepenetrating the second and subsequent semiconductor chips stacked on theevaporation unit; a condensation unit positioned on the top of thesemiconductor chips and sealing an upper part of the coolingthrough-hole; and a coolant filling a cooling path sealed by theevaporation unit, the cooling through-hole and the condensation unit.

The vertical heat emission path reduces the heat buildup in the WSP dueto the heat generated by the semiconductor chips and quickly dissipatesa large amount of heat during the operation of the WSP. Consequently,the thermal reliability of the WSP is improved.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above and other features and advantages of the present inventionwill become more apparent by describing in detail exemplary embodimentsthereof with reference to the attached drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a sectional view for explaining a conventional wafer stackedsemiconductor package (WSP);

FIG. 2 is an enlargement of Part II of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a graph of simulated connection temperature vs. heat generatedin two semiconductor chips in a WSP having four stacked semiconductorchips;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view of a WSP having a vertical heat emission pathaccording to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is an enlargement of a via contact of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a sectional view illustrating the operating principle of thevertical heat emission path of FIG. 4;

FIG. 7 is a sectional view taken along Line A-A′ of FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is a plan view illustrating the position of a coolingthrough-hole in a semiconductor chip;

FIG. 9 is a process flow chart illustrating a method of fabricating aWSP having a vertical heat emission path, according to anotherembodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 10 is a sectional view of the heat emission path formed accordingto the embodiment of FIG. 9;

FIG. 11 is a process flow chart illustrating a method of fabricating aWSP having a vertical heat emission path, according to yet anotherembodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 12 is a sectional view of the heat emission path formed accordingto the embodiment of FIG. 11;

FIG. 13 is a plan view of a bridge ring used in FIG. 12;

FIG. 14 is a process flow chart illustrating a method of fabricating aWSP having a vertical heat emission path, according to still anotherembodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 15 is a sectional view of the heat emission path formed accordingto the embodiment of FIG. 14;

FIG. 16 is a perspective view of a micro heat pipe inserted into thecooling through-hole of FIG. 15; and

FIG. 17 is a process flow chart for explaining a method of fabricating aWSP having a vertical heat emission path, according to a modificationexample of the embodiment of FIG. 14.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present invention will now be described more fully with reference tothe accompanying drawings, in which preferred embodiments of theinvention are shown. This invention may, however, be embodied in manydifferent forms, and should not be construed as being limited to theembodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided sothat this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fullyconvey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view of a wafer stacked semiconductor package(WSP) having a vertical heat emission path, according to an embodimentof the present invention.

As illustrated in FIG. 4, the WSP 100 comprises: a substrate 102 onwhich a printed circuit pattern 104 is formed, a plurality ofsemiconductor chips 108 mounted vertically on the substrate 102, acooling through-hole 120 formed vertically through the plurality ofsemiconductor chips 108 and sealed, a micro hole (122 of FIG. 7) formedon the circumference of the cooling through-hole 120 and sealed, and acoolant (130 of FIG. 6) filling the inside of the cooling through-hole120.

The coolant 130 inside the cooling through-hole 120 is sealed by anevaporation unit 110 and a condensation unit 126, which each may takethe form of a metal plate. The evaporation unit 110 and the condensationunit 126 may be manufactured of copper, since it is a metal and has highthermal conductivity. The coolant 130 is a liquid which is capable ofevaporating and condensing, and may be water, Freon gas, or othermaterials. The coolant 130 fills 30 to 90% of the inside volume of thecooling through-hole 120, and the remaining portion may be in a vacuum.

Accordingly, a vertical heat emission path is formed, which allows agreat amount of heat generated in the semiconductor chips 108 to bequickly transferred to the condensation unit 126, which is exposed tothe outside of the WSP 100, through the evaporation and condensation ofthe coolant 130. The condensation unit 126 may additionally include athermal interface material layer (TIM) 116 and a cooling device 118 onthe condensation unit 126, to maximize the heat emission to the outside.

The cooling device 118 may use any structure capable of quickly emittingheat from the condensation unit 126 to the air. For example, a heatspreader, a heat sink, a material producing a Peltier effect, and acooling fan may be generally used as the cooling device 118. Each of thesemiconductor chips 108 may be a memory device, a microprocessor or amicrocontroller. The bottom surface of the semiconductor chips 108 ispolished, and thus the thickness of the semiconductor chips 108 may beabout 10 to 90 ρm, to reduce the total thickness of the WSP 100.

In FIG. 4, reference numeral 114 indicates sealing resin for sealing theupper part of the substrate 102 and the semiconductor chips 108,reference numeral 106 indicates a solder ball attached to the lower partof the substrate 102, and reference numeral 112 indicates a via contact.

FIG. 5 is an enlargement of the via contact 112 of FIG. 4.

As illustrated in FIG. 5, the stack of semiconductor chips 108 have aplurality of via contacts 112. The via contacts 112 penetrate thesemiconductor chips 108 and are electrically connected to the substrate102. The number of via contacts 112 corresponds to the number of padsformed on the semiconductor chips 108. The via contacts 112 are composedof a metal material with high conductivity and are an electricalconnection path between the upper and lower semiconductor chips 108. Theregions of the upper and lower semiconductor chips 108 other than thoseelectrically connected by the via contacts 112 are connected by anadhesive 132 as shown.

FIG. 6 is a sectional view illustrating the operating principle of thevertical heat emission path of FIG. 4, FIG. 7 is a sectional view takenalong Line A-A′ of FIG. 6, and FIG. 8 is a plan view illustrating theposition of the cooling through-hole 120 of the semiconductor chip.

Referring to FIGS. 6 through 8, the operating principle of the verticalheat emission path of the WSP according to the embodiment of the presentinvention will now be described. As illustrated in FIG. 6, the sidewallsof the vertical heat emission path are sealed by the coolingthrough-hole 120 of the semiconductor chips 108, the lower part thereofis sealed by the evaporation unit 110, and the upper part thereof issealed by the condensation unit 126. A metal layer 124 is formed on thesidewalls and the upper part of the cooling through-hole 120 of thesemiconductor chips 108. The coolant 130, for example, water, isvaporized into steam by the heat of the evaporation unit 110 and movesup in the direction of the large arrow indicated in FIG. 6. Then, thevaporizing coolant 130 is cooled by the condensation unit 126 andcondenses to become water again. The liquid coolant 130 flows into themicro holes 122 formed on the circumference of the cooling through-hole120 and moves down in the direction of the small arrows indicated inFIG. 6. While these processes are repeated, heat is removed from theevaporation unit 110 and the semiconductor chips 108 positioned on theevaporation unit 110 by the coolant 130. Accordingly, even if a hot spotoccurs in the stacked semiconductor chips 108 or even if semiconductorchips such as a microprocessor or a microcontroller generate a greatamount of heat, the heat is quickly transferred to the outside throughthe vertical heat emission path. The vertical heat emission path hasthermal conductivity characteristics one hundred times greater or morethan the conventional structure in which the heat of the semiconductorchips is dissipated using the thermal conductivity of copper.

As illustrated in FIG. 8, the cooling through-hole 120 which forms thevertical heat emission path is positioned in the ‘hot spot’ region wheremost heat is generated inside the semiconductor chips 108, therebyeffectively reducing the temperature variation inside the semiconductorchips 108.

FIG. 9 is a process flow chart illustrating a method of fabricating aWSP having a vertical heat emission path, according to anotherembodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 10 is a sectional view ofthe heat emission path formed according to the embodiment of FIG. 9.

Referring to FIGS. 9 and 10, in the WSP having the vertical heatemission path the cooling through-hole 120 and the stacked semiconductorchips 108 are connected by the metal layer 124, which may comprisecopper. The top semiconductor chip 108 and the condensation unit 126 arealso connected by the metal layer 124.

The method of fabricating the WSP having the vertical heat emission pathwill be described below: A substrate 102 for a ball grid array (BGA)including a printed circuit pattern 104 is prepared (S100). A printedcircuit pattern 104 for connecting a via contact 112 may be preparedwithin the substrate 102. A first semiconductor chip which has nocooling through-hole is mounted to be electrically connected to thesubstrate 102 (S102). The first semiconductor chip may be mounted sothat the circuit surface faces down or up. Subsequently, an evaporationunit 110 is stacked in the area of the first semiconductor chip whereheat emission is relatively great (S104). Other semiconductor chips 108,for example, a plurality of semiconductor chips 108 within which thecooling through-hole 120 is formed, are aligned and stacked on theresultant structure including the evaporation unit 110 (S106). The viacontact 112 may be formed inside the first semiconductor chip or theother semiconductor chips 108.

The cooling through-hole 120 may be formed by LASER drilling or etching.In the other semiconductor chips, the metal layer 124 is formed in andaround the cooling through-hole 120. The metal layer 124 is composed ofcopper and may be formed by chemical vapor deposition (CVD) or physicalvapor deposition (PVD).

Subsequently, the stacked semiconductor chips 108 are aligned so thatthe cooling through-hole 120 is connected vertically inside thesemiconductor chips 108. Then, the sidewall of the cooling through-hole120 in the vertically aligned semiconductor chips 108 is sealed byperforming metal connection at a low temperature of 200° C. or less(S108). Subsequently, a plurality of micro holes 122 are formed aroundthe circumference of the cooling through-hole 120 inside the stackedsemiconductor chips 108 (S110). The diameter of the micro holes 122 maybe smaller than that of the cooling through-hole 120. The micro holes122 may be formed by LASER drilling. The cooling through-hole 120 andthe micro holes 122 may vary in shape, but are generally round to reducethe physical resistance during LASER drilling.

Subsequently, the cooling through-hole 120 with the micro holes 122 issealed by a condensation unit 126, for example, a copper plate on thetop of the stacked semiconductor chips 108, and a coolant 130, such aswater, is injected to fill 30 to 90% of the cooling through-hole 120(S112). After the coolant 130 is injected, the inside of the coolingthrough-hole 120 may be maintained in a vacuum state.

Then, the upper part of the substrate 102 and the semiconductor chips108 are sealed by a molding process using sealing resin 114 (S114), anda solder ball 106 is attached below the substrate 102 (S116). Themolding process may be performed so that the upper part of thecondensation unit 126 is exposed outside the sealing resin 114, andsubsequently a thermal interface material layer 116 and a cooling device118 are attached to the condensation unit 126 (S118).

FIG. 11 is a process flow chart illustrating a method of fabricating aWSP having a vertical heat emission path, according to yet anotherembodiment of the present invention, FIG. 12 is a sectional view of aheat emission path formed according to the embodiment of FIG. 11, andFIG. 13 is a plan view of a bridge ring used in FIG. 12.

Referring to FIGS. 11 through 13, in the WSP according to thisembodiment, a cooling through-hole 120 and stacked semiconductor chips108 are connected by a bridge ring 128. In addition, a top semiconductorchip 108 and a condensation unit 126 are connected by the bridge ring128. The bridge ring 128 includes a cooling through-hole 120A and microholes 122A, similar to the cooling through-hole 120 and micro holes 122formed inside the semiconductor chips 108, as shown FIG. 13. The bridgering 128 may be composed of an insulating material, such as polyimide.The bridge ring 128 may use other materials, considering durability andthe thermal expansion characteristics of the other materials, ifnecessary.

To fabricate the WSP having the vertical heat emission path according tothis embodiment, a substrate 102 for the BGA including a printed circuitpattern 104 is prepared (S200). A first semiconductor chip having nocooling through-hole is mounted to be electrically connected to thesubstrate 102 (S202).

Subsequently, an evaporation unit 110 is stacked on the firstsemiconductor chip (S204). Other semiconductor chips 108, for example, aplurality of semiconductor chips 108 in which the cooling through-hole120 is formed, are aligned and stacked on the resultant structure havingthe evaporation unit 110 (S206), using a bridge ring 128 in thestructure shown in FIG. 13. A via contact 112 may be formed inside thefirst semiconductor chip or the other semiconductor chips 108.

Subsequently, the stacked semiconductor chips 108 and the bridge ring128 are aligned so that the cooling through-holes 120 and 120A areconnected vertically. Then, the connection of the semiconductor chips108 and the bridge ring 128 is performed (S208). Accordingly, thesidewall of the cooling through-hole 120 in the stacked semiconductorchips 108 is sealed by the bridge ring 128 and the other semiconductorchips 108.

Subsequently, a plurality of micro holes 122 are formed around thecircumference of the cooling through-hole 120 inside the stackedsemiconductor chips 108 (S210). The diameter of the micro holes 122 maybe smaller than that of the cooling through-hole 120. The micro holes122 may be formed by LASER drilling.

Subsequently, after the bridge rings 128 are aligned on the top of thestacked semiconductor chips 108, the cooling through-hole 120 with themicro holes 122 is sealed by the condensation unit 126, and a coolant130, such as water, is injected to fill 30 to 90% of the coolingthrough-hole 120 (S212). After the coolant 130 is injected, the insideof the cooling through-hole 120 may be maintained in a vacuum state.

Then, the upper part of the substrate 102 and the semiconductor chips108 are sealed by a molding process using sealing resin 114 (S214), anda solder ball 106 is attached below the substrate 102 (S216). Themolding process may be performed so that the upper part of thecondensation unit 126 is exposed outside the sealing resin 114, andsubsequently a thermal interface material layer 116 and a cooling device118 are attached to the condensation unit 126 (S218).

FIG. 14 is a process flow chart illustrating a method of fabricating aWSP having a vertical heat emission path, according to still anotherembodiment of the present invention, FIG. 15 is a sectional view of aheat emission path formed according to the embodiment of FIG. 14, andFIG. 16 is a perspective view of a micro heat pipe inserted into thecooling through-hole in FIG. 16.

Referring to FIGS. 14 through 16, in the WSP according to thisembodiment, a micro heat pipe 140 manufactured as shown in FIG. 16 isinserted to penetrate a cooling through-hole 120 and stackedsemiconductor chips 108.

To fabricate the WSP having the vertical heat emission path according tothis embodiment, a substrate 102 for the BGA including a printed circuitpattern 104 is prepared (S300) similar to the embodiment of FIG. 9. Afirst semiconductor chip having no cooling through-hole 120 is mountedto be electrically connected to the substrate 102 (S302). Subsequently,an evaporation unit 110 is stacked on the first semiconductor chip(S304). Other semiconductor chips 108 with the cooling through-hole 120are stacked using the metal layer 124 of the embodiment of FIG. 9 or thebridge ring 128 of the embodiment of FIG. 11 (S306).

Subsequently, the stacked semiconductor chips 108 are aligned andconnected (S308). When the stacked semiconductor chips 108 are aligned,the cooling through-holes 120 in each of the chips are aligned, therebyforming a cooling through-hole 120 that penetrates each of the stackedsemiconductor chips 108 on the evaporation unit 110. Then, the microheat pipe 140, already manufactured as shown in FIG. 16, is insertedinto the cooling through-hole 120 (S310). Then, the cooling through-hole120 at the top of the semiconductor chip 108 into which the micro heatpipe 140 is inserted is sealed by a condensation unit 126 (S312). Theupper part of the substrate 102 and the semiconductor chips 108 aresealed by a molding process using sealing resin 114 (S314), and a solderball 106 is attached below the substrate 102 (S316). The molding processmay be performed so that the upper part of the condensation unit 126 isexposed outside the sealing resin 114, and subsequently a thermalinterface material layer 116 and a cooling device 118 are attached tothe condensation unit 126 (S318).

Referring to FIG. 16, the micro heat pipe 140 may include a micro heatpipe body 146, a first sealing cap 148, a second sealing cap 150, and acoolant (not shown). The micro heat pipe body 146 may include a centralfirst through-hole 142 and micro holes 144 formed on the circumferenceof the first through-hole 142. The first sealing cap 148 seals a lowerpart of the micro heat pipe body 146 and the second sealing cap 150seals an upper part of the micro heat pipe body 146. The coolant is thuscontained inside the sealed micro heat pipe body 146.

FIG. 17 is a process flow chart illustrating a method of fabricating aWSP having a vertical heat emission path formed according to amodification of the embodiment of FIG. 14. According to this modifiedembodiment, the semiconductor chips 108 are first stacked and connected,and then the cooling through-hole 120 and the micro holes 122 are madein the stacked semiconductor chips 108 by LASER drilling and the microheat pipe 140 is inserted.

Referring to FIG. 17, to fabricate the WSP having the vertical heatemission path, a substrate 102 for the BGA including a printed circuitpattern 104 is prepared (S300), similar to the embodiment of FIG. 9. Afirst semiconductor chip having no cooling through-hole 120 is mountedto be electrically connected to the substrate 102 (S302). Subsequently,an evaporation unit 110 is stacked on the first semiconductor chip(S304). Then, a number of other semiconductor chips 108 having nocooling through-hole 120, like the first semiconductor chip, are stackedon the first semiconductor chip on which the evaporation unit 110 isstacked (S320). Subsequently, the stacked semiconductor chips arealigned and connected (S308). Then, the cooling through-hole 120 isformed through the stacked semiconductor chips by LASER drilling.Subsequently, the micro heat pipe 140, already manufactured as shown inFIG. 16, is inserted into the cooling through-hole 120 (S310).

Then, the cooling through-hole 120 at the top of the semiconductor chip108 into which the micro heat pipe 140 is inserted is sealed by acondensation unit 126 (S312). The upper part of the substrate 102 andthe semiconductor chips 108 are sealed by a molding process usingsealing resin 114 (S314), and a solder ball 106 is attached below thesubstrate 102 (S316). The molding process may be performed so that theupper part of the condensation unit 126 is exposed outside the sealingresin 114, and subsequently a thermal interface material layer 116 and acooling device 118 are attached to the condensation unit 126 (S318).

As described above, in accordance with the present invention, thecooling through-hole is formed vertically through the stackedsemiconductor chips in the WSP, and the micro heat pipe creates acooling path, thereby reducing the temperature difference caused by theheat generated by the semiconductor chips and quickly dissipating alarge amount of heat during the operation of the WSP. Consequently, thethermal reliability of the WSP is improved.

The present invention provides a WSP having a vertical heat emissionpath, comprising: a substrate on which semiconductor chips are mounted;two or more semiconductor chips being vertically stacked on thesubstrate; an evaporation unit positioned on the lowest semiconductorchip being stacked; a cooling through-hole penetrating the second andsubsequent semiconductor chips stacked on the evaporation unit; acondensation unit positioned on the top of the semiconductor chips andsealing an upper part of the cooling through-hole; and a coolant fillinga cooling path sealed by the evaporation unit, the cooling through-holeand the condensation unit.

In an embodiment, the space between the semiconductor chips throughwhich the cooling through-hole is formed and the condensation unit maybe sealed by metal connection using a metal layer.

In an embodiment, the cooling through-hole may further comprise aplurality of micro holes formed on the circumference of the coolingthrough-hole and having a smaller diameter than the coolingthrough-hole.

In an embodiment, the space between the semiconductor chips throughwhich the cooling through-hole is formed and the condensation unit maybe sealed by a bridge ring composed of insulating material.

The two or more semiconductor chips may further comprise a via contactwhich penetrates the semiconductor chips and is electrically connectedto the substrate, and the WSP may further comprise sealing resin forsealing an upper part of the substrate and the semiconductor chips, anda solder ball below the substrate.

The condensation unit may be connected so that its upper surface isexposed outside the sealing resin, and the condensation unit may furthercomprise a thermal interface material (TIM) layer positioned on thecondensation unit and a cooling device formed on the TIM layer. Thecooling device may be one of a heat spreader, a heat sink, a materialproducing a Peltier effect and a cooling fan.

The present invention also provides a wafer stacked semiconductorpackage (WSP) having a vertical heat emission path, comprising: asubstrate on which semiconductor chips are mounted, two or moresemiconductor chips stacked vertically on the substrate; a coolingthrough-hole penetrating the second and subsequent semiconductor chips;and a micro heat pipe being inserted into the cooling through-hole, themicro heat pipe including a micro heat pipe body, a first sealing cap, asecond sealing cap, and a coolant, wherein the micro heat pipe bodyincludes a central first through-hole and micro holes formed on thecircumference of the first through-hole, the first sealing cap seals alower part of the micro heat pipe body, the second sealing cap seals anupper part of the micro heat pipe body, and the coolant is presentinside the sealed micro heat pipe body.

The WSP may further comprise an evaporation unit with its lower partcontacting the first semiconductor chip and its upper part contactingthe first sealing cap; and a condensation unit with its upper partexposed to the outside and its lower part contacting the second sealingcap.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provideda method of fabricating a wafer stacked semiconductor package (WSP)having a vertical heat emission path.

The present invention provides a method of fabricating a WSP having avertical heat emission path, comprising: mounting a lowest firstsemiconductor chip on a substrate and stacking an evaporation unit onthe first semiconductor chip; stacking other semiconductor chipsincluding a cooling through-hole on the first semiconductor chip;aligning and connecting the first semiconductor chip and the othersemiconductor chips; forming a plurality of micro holes around thecircumference of the cooling through-hole of the other semiconductorchips; and forming a condensation unit on the other semiconductor chipsand injecting a coolant.

In an embodiment, the first semiconductor chip may not include thecooling through-hole, the evaporation unit and the condensation unit maybe metal plates which have a high thermal conductivity, and the formingof the cooling through-hole and the micro holes may be performed byLASER drilling.

In an embodiment, the first semiconductor chip and the othersemiconductor chips may be ones selected from a memory device, amicroprocessor, and a microcontroller, the injecting of the coolant maybe performed to fill the inside of the cooling through-hole to withinthe range of 30 to 90%, and after the injecting of the coolant, theinside of the cooling through-hole may be in a vacuum state.

The first semiconductor chip and the other semiconductor chips may havepolished bottom surfaces and are within the range of about 10 to about90 μm in thickness.

In an embodiment, the aligning and connecting of the first semiconductorchip and the other semiconductor chips may comprise: aligning thecooling through-hole where the metal layer is formed to be verticallyconnected; and metal-connecting the other semiconductor chips which arevertically positioned to be connected by the metal layer.

In another embodiment, the aligning and connecting of the firstsemiconductor chip and the other semiconductor chips may comprise:aligning the cooling through-hole to be vertically connected byinserting a bridge ring between the other semiconductor chips, thebridge ring including the same structure hole as the coolingthrough-hole; and connecting the sidewall of the cooling through-hole tobe sealed, using an adhesive. The cooling through-hole and the microholes may be round in shape.

The present invention provides a method of fabricating a WSP having avertical heat emission path, comprising: mounting a first semiconductorchip on a substrate and stacking an evaporation unit on the firstsemiconductor chip; stacking other semiconductor chips including acooling through-hole and a metal layer formed on an upper part of thecooling through-hole, on the evaporation unit; aligning and connectingthe first semiconductor chip and the other semiconductor chips;inserting a micro heat pipe into the cooling through-hole beingconnected; and forming a condensation unit on the other semiconductorchips into which the micro heat pipe is inserted and sealing thecondensation unit. The first semiconductor chip may not include thecooling through-hole.

In accordance with a modified example of the above embodiment, themethod of fabricating the WSP having a vertical heat emission path maycomprise inserting a micro heat pipe into the cooling through-hole afteraligning and connecting the other semiconductor chips.

The micro heat pipe may comprise: a micro heat pipe body including acentral first through-hole and micro holes formed on the circumferenceof the first through-hole; a first sealing cap for sealing a lower partof the micro heat pipe body; a second sealing cap for sealing an upperpart of the micro heat pipe body; and a coolant inside the sealed microheat pipe body sealed by the first and second sealing caps.

While the present invention has been particularly shown and describedwith reference to exemplary embodiments thereof, it will be understoodby those of ordinary skill in the art that various changes in form anddetail may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scopeof the present invention as defined by the following claims.

1. A wafer stacked semiconductor package (WSP) having a vertical heatemission path, comprising: a substrate; two or more semiconductor chipsvertically stacked on the substrate; an evaporation unit positioned onthe lowest semiconductor chip; a cooling through-hole penetrating thesecond and subsequent semiconductor chips stacked on the evaporationunit; a condensation unit positioned on the top of the uppermostsemiconductor chip and sealing an upper part of the coolingthrough-hole; and a coolant filling a cooling path sealed by theevaporation unit, the cooling through-hole and the condensation unit. 2.The WSP of claim 1, wherein the two or more semiconductor chips furthercomprise a via contact which is electrically connected to the substrateand penetrates the semiconductor chips.
 3. The WSP of claim 1, furthercomprising sealing resin for sealing an upper part of the substrate andthe stacked semiconductor chips.
 4. The WSP of claim 1, furthercomprising a solder ball attached below the substrate.
 5. The WSP ofclaim 3, wherein the condensation unit has its upper surface exposedoutside the sealing resin.
 6. The WSP of claim 5, further comprising: athermal interface material (TIM) layer formed on the condensation unit;and a cooling device formed on the TIM layer.
 7. The WSP of claim 6,wherein the cooling device is one of a heat spreader, a heat sink, amaterial producing a Peltier effect, and a cooling fan.
 8. The WSP ofclaim 1, wherein the cooling through-hole further comprises a pluralityof micro holes formed on the circumference of the cooling through-holeand having a smaller diameter than the cooling through-hole.
 9. The WSPof claim 1, wherein the cooling through-hole is formed in an area wheresignificant heat is generated in the stacked semiconductor chips. 10.The WSP of claim 1, wherein the coolant is a liquid capable ofevaporation and condensation.
 11. The WSP of claim 1, wherein the spacebetween the semiconductor chips through which the cooling through-holeis formed is sealed by metal connection.
 12. The WSP of claim 1, whereinthe semiconductor chips through which the cooling through-hole is formedand the condensation unit are sealed by metal connection.
 13. The WSP ofclaim 1, wherein the space between the semiconductor chips through whichthe cooling through-hole is formed is sealed by a bridge ring comprisingan insulating material.
 14. The WSP of claim 1, wherein thesemiconductor chips through which the cooling through-hole is formed andthe condensation unit are sealed by a bridge ring comprising a metal.15. A wafer stacked semiconductor package (WSP) having a vertical heatemission path, comprising: a substrate; two or more semiconductor chipsvertically stacked on the substrate; a cooling through-hole penetratingthe second and subsequent semiconductor chips; and a micro heat pipeinserted into the cooling through-hole and including a micro heat pipebody, a first sealing cap, a second sealing cap, and a coolant, whereinthe micro heat pipe body includes a central first through-hole and microholes formed on the circumference of the first through-hole, the firstsealing cap seals a lower part of the micro heat pipe body, the secondsealing cap seals an upper part of the micro heat pipe body, and thecoolant is contained inside the sealed micro heat pipe body.
 16. The WSPof claim 15, further comprising: an evaporation unit including a lowerpart contacting the first semiconductor chip and an upper partcontacting the first sealing cap; and a condensation unit including anexposed upper part and a lower part contacting the second sealing cap.17. A method of fabricating a WSP (wafer stacked semiconductor package)having a vertical heat emission path, comprising: mounting a firstsemiconductor chip on a substrate and stacking an evaporation unit onthe first semiconductor chip; stacking a plurality of secondsemiconductor chips on the evaporation unit, each second semiconductorchip including a cooling through-hole; aligning and connecting the firstsemiconductor chip and the second semiconductor chips; forming aplurality of micro holes around the circumference of the coolingthrough-holes of the second semiconductor chips; and forming acondensation unit on the second semiconductor chips and injecting acoolant into the cooling through-holes.
 18. The method of claim 17,wherein the first semiconductor chip does not include the coolingthrough-hole.
 19. The method of claim 17, wherein the evaporation unitand the condensation unit are metal plates which have a high thermalconductivity.
 20. The method of claim 17, wherein the forming of thecooling through-holes is performed by LASER drilling.
 21. The method ofclaim 17, wherein the forming of the micro holes is performed by LASERdrilling.
 22. The method of claim 17, wherein the first semiconductorchip and the second semiconductor chips are ones selected from a memorydevice, a microprocessor, and a microcontroller.
 23. The method of claim17, wherein the injecting of the coolant is performed to fill the insideof the cooling through-holes to within the range of about 30 to about90%.
 24. The method of claim 23, wherein after the injecting of thecoolant, the inside of the cooling through-holes is in a vacuum state.25. The method of claim 17, wherein the first semiconductor chip and thesecond semiconductor chips have polished bottom surfaces and are withinthe range of about 10 to about 90 μm in thickness.
 26. The method ofclaim 17, wherein the second semiconductor chips include a metal layerformed at the upper part and internal wall of the cooling through-holes.27. The method of claim 26, wherein the aligning and connecting of thefirst semiconductor chip and the second semiconductor chips comprises:aligning the cooling through-holes including the metal layer to bevertically connected; and metal connecting the second semiconductorchips which are vertically stacked so as to be connected by the metallayer.
 28. The method of claim 27, wherein the metal connecting of thesecond semiconductor chips is performed at a temperature of about 200°C. or less.
 29. The method of claim 17, wherein the aligning andconnecting of the first semiconductor chip and the second semiconductorchips comprises: aligning the cooling through-holes to be verticallyconnected by inserting a bridge ring between the second semiconductorchips, the bridge ring including the same structure hole as the coolingthrough-holes; and connecting the sidewall of the cooling through-holesusing an adhesive, thereby sealing the cooling through-holes.
 30. Themethod of claim 17, further comprising, after the injecting of thecoolant, molding the first semiconductor chip, the second semiconductorchips and the upper part of the substrate.
 31. The method of claim 30,wherein the molding of the semiconductor chips and the upper part of thesubstrate is performed so that the upper surface of the condensationunit is exposed to the outside.
 32. The method of claim 30, furthercomprising, after the molding of the semiconductor chips and the upperpart of the substrate, attaching a solder ball below the substrate. 33.The method of claim 30, further comprising: after the molding of thesemiconductor chips and the upper part of the substrate, forming athermal interface material layer on the condensation unit exposed to theoutside; and attaching a cooling device on the thermal interfacematerial layer.
 34. The method of claim 33, wherein the cooling deviceis one of a heat spreader, a heat sink, a material producing a Peltiereffect, and a cooling fan.
 35. The method of claim 17, wherein thecooling through-holes and the micro holes are round in shape.
 36. Amethod of fabricating a wafer stacked semiconductor package (WSP) havinga vertical heat emission path, comprising: mounting a firstsemiconductor chip on a substrate and stacking an evaporation unit onthe first semiconductor chip; stacking a plurality of secondsemiconductor chips on the evaporation unit, each of the secondsemiconductor chips including a cooling through-hole and a metal layerformed on an upper part of the cooling through-hole; aligning andconnecting the first semiconductor chip and the second semiconductorchips; inserting a micro heat pipe into the cooling through-holes; andforming a condensation unit on the second semiconductor chips into whichthe micro heat pipe is inserted and sealing the condensation unit. 37.The method of claim 36, wherein the first semiconductor chip does notinclude a cooling through-hole.
 38. The method of claim 36, wherein themicro heat pipe comprises: a micro heat pipe body including a centralfirst through-hole and micro holes formed on the circumference of thefirst through-hole; a first sealing cap for sealing a lower part of themicro heat pipe body; a second sealing cap for sealing an upper part ofthe micro heat pipe body; and a coolant inside the sealed micro heatpipe body sealed by the first and second sealing caps.
 39. A method offabricating a wafer stacked semiconductor package (WSP) having avertical heat emission path, comprising: mounting a first semiconductorchip on a substrate and stacking an evaporation unit on the firstsemiconductor chip; stacking a plurality of second semiconductor chipson the evaporation unit; aligning and connecting the first semiconductorchip and the second semiconductor chips; forming a cooling through-holein the second semiconductor chips by LASER drilling; inserting a microheat pipe into the cooling through-hole; and forming a condensation uniton the second semiconductor chips into which the micro heat pipe isinserted and sealing the condensation unit.
 40. The method of claim 39,wherein the first semiconductor chip does not include the coolingthrough-hole.
 41. The method of claim 39, wherein the micro heat pipecomprises: a micro heat pipe body including a central first through-holeand micro holes formed on the circumference of the first through-hole; afirst sealing cap for sealing a lower part of the micro heat pipe body;a second sealing cap for sealing an upper part of the micro heat pipebody; and a coolant inside the sealed micro heat pipe body sealed by thefirst and second sealing caps.
 42. A wafer stacked semiconductor package(WSP) having a vertical heat emission path, comprising: a substrate; aplurality of semiconductor chips vertically stacked on the substrate; acooling through-hole disposed vertically in the plurality ofsemiconductor chips, and sealed; micro holes formed and sealed on thecircumference of the cooling through-hole; and a coolant filling theinside of the cooling through-hole.